r/taylorguitars

I have been looking for a 14CE series, preferably a 414CE the last few weeks. I have bought a couple of Martin's from Empire Music so I looked to see what they have available.

They have a Trade in promo going right now and I have a Les Paul Modern that I don't like even though it's a beautiful guitar.

I am stuck between this guitar, a new but heavily discounted 2023 Custom Select 714CE (original price $4499) that I would get 23% discount on top of the already discounted price, OR..

A 2026 414CE standard. They both would be $2700 but the 414CE would only be discounted 15%.

My brain is saying 714CE but I have to wonder why it has gone un-sold for 3 years...

The options if allowed...

https://empiremusic.com/collections/super-summer-closeouts-overstock-specials/products/taylor-empire-select-714ce-rosewood-aa-lutz-spruce-ebony-binding-13126?_pos=6&_fid=e799df77b&_ss=c

https://empiremusic.com/collections/taylor/products/taylor-next-generation-414ce-86042?_pos=3&_fid=d373c4ae4&_ss=c

GS Mini E mahogany, sounds so full! very comfy, love how it sound...Also i like the unintentional bicolor fretboard 🤭 now i should setup the pickup with a screwdrive in 3 holes, the sound seems a bit odd from my amp compared to my other e-acoustic guitar...

40th Birthday present from my wife. Absolutely incredible. I buy/sell guitars a lot, this one is staying put. I was speechless when I opened the case.

Very pleased with this beauty of an instrument. Great sound for the value. A step above my GS Mini and I love the finish on the sunset blvd. The muted sunburst is very appealing.

I picked up this new-ish K24ce (open-box from Guitar Genter) for $2400 flat. There was a finish ding at the bottom on its side and also a binding chip on the headstock, but I don’t care because it sounds and plays phenomenal. Just look at the top!

Not bad for a purchase sight unseen.

Edit: added pictures of the back
https://imgur.com/a/qXSlHlE

Afternoon yall. I'm going to be picking up a Taylor GS Mini soon, but I've happened upon a unique circumstance.

I'll preface this by saying I've played the spruce and mahogany models already, and I'm not partial to eithers sound enough to split hairs about it. This will be a work/travel guitar.

The plan was to pick up whichever model I could get the best deal on. However, I have been offered to purchase a new GS Mini Americana model for 540 instead of 699. I've been thinking pretty seriously about this since I'm a Veteran myself and I want to support my brothers and sisters in the Guitars 4 Vets program. Taylor donates 175 dollars per purchase of this guitar to the program, which would mean a lot to me.

Beyond the sentimental/program aspect though, this is really just a spruce GS Mini with a graphical overlay and a custom sound hole label. Do yall think this is objectively worth it for this price when you remove the emotional portion of the decision process? 160 dollars off MSRP is a good deal and I like the way the Guitar looks. I know guitars don't hold value well, but it will be a workhorse anyways. (Forgot to mention i was also offered a Spruce GS Mini for 450)

Looking for opinions to bounce around in my head. Thanks.

Hello! So I have this Taylor 114 and I already took it for a set up so neck relief and everything else is still ok. However, my action is still higher than recommended, and I really don’t like playing this guitar. In higher frets I find it unplayable. Could it be the action, or do I just don’t like the guitar?

After years of playing a Guitar Center Rogue acoustic… I finally bought my first Taylor off Facebook Marketplace yesterday. A 414 with fishman electronics added recently. At $800 it felt like a great price. All original parts, no neck or bridge damage…Some cosmetic damage on the upper left hand side from a tiny superglue spill, but does not affect sound or playability (hence the discount). It was strung with some 11s but hoping to put some 12 bronze on it to give it a little more thump.

315ce jumbo body circa 2001

Recent Purchase - 914ce custom from 2014 with Adirondack cv bracing and Cindy inlay :)

Both sound wonderful, but with drastically different sounds.

I saved a long time to go and purchase a Taylor 414ce Studio Sunset blvd. When I went to the store it was all of a sudden priced down 31%. I was hoping to make a deal since this guitar is about 200 euros more expensive than other studio models. But I never imagined the price would be that low! Even the store clerk at the acoustic department was surprised. "It must be a mistake". He told me. But luckily they didn't change it quickly.

Over the moon with my new guitar!

My 2026 Taylor K24ce Builders

I truly feel I hit the Koa lottery on the top and even the back which determined my keeping the guitar versus exchanging due to issues that I fortunately was able to mitigate on my own accord.

I usually buy pre owned guitars, ensuring caution on their value in the event I don’t bond and need to move them on. I usually find great deals in Houston or elsewhere, but when it came to the 2026 new generation, I wanted a k24 builders with the adjustable neck and 3 holes not predrilled into the upper bout. Being newly released, a “pre loved” specimen would probably be a few years away, or more.

I will start with the “not so good” and get it out of the way.

Fret topography was not perfect. I didn’t think to pull out my fret rocker first thing and start checking everything head to toe, a guitar this exciting begets playing, immediately. But with the action feeling quite a bit high, and now knowing I’m in full control of that with the action adjustment rod, the un-level frets were happened upon when tailoring the action to my needs. And to be clear, I like my 12th fret string height approx 2.25-30mm when the guitar is neck angled well with a saddle that’s at correct height and not sanded down to nil. I fingerpick and strum, so a fine balance there of decent height for some heavier picking attack, in juxtaposition to comfort of fingerpicking is a balance I’ll dial in instrument to instrument.

Having discovered several frets peaking in their plane, I marked them and discerned that in order to rectify this I’ll need to gently level them and recrown and polish. The process went well, and now the fret topography is dead level across the board and action has been dialed in to a very nice 2.20mm on the bass side.

During setup I also discovered the nut slot depth was not deep enough. Measuring the gap at first fret showed that it needed some attention which took some gentle filing and re measuring. Afterward, notes no longer sharp when fretted and my hand no longer sore. I also sanded and polished the nut to a better shine. The material was easy to work with.

The saddle was cut roughly, had scores on it, wasn’t very attractive and so I ended up replacing with a Taylor bone saddle, mimicked in perfect height and shape to the one it was delivered with. Huge difference in tone if you ask me.

Koa is probably my favorite tonewood. I have another Taylor 2011 “GC-K” that has had plenty of time to open up over the years and it’s so true that new koa is shy. That is the case here with mine, the balance of sound and volume string to string and note separation is astounding, but when brand new, quite subdued and compressed; all descriptors that many have used when describing new koa.

This isn’t a “bad” thing but if someone were expecting leaping notes and spruce/coco responsiveness, their disappointment would be nigh.

After having had the guitar and playing for a few months, it absolutely has opened up which leads me to the good.

Look at how gorgeous this guitar is. I mean holy mother every time I look at this thing I wanna pick it up.

After playing very consistently for a few months it has opened up and the sheen, “hifi” Taylor sound with trebles controlled and a bass that tickles my chest, it’s no wonder they become lifetime guitars and heirlooms beyond that. Every note rings out true and the overtones and intonation are incredible. Put a capo on when it’s in perfect tune then and play up the register -in perfect tune. That’s solid intonation. Love it.

I have a 2018 K14ce builders that is of the silent satin finish, but I prefer the gloss not because of what it might do to tone or any squeak it might make, but because of my lust for wood grain patterns that just look so three dimensional to the point you can almost taste it are prioritized on my “importance meter”. My k14 is up for sale, currently, as I do need to recoup some funds expended.

I’m looking forward to this guitar continuing to open up and give back over years to come. My very first gigging guitar was a 114ce that sadly years later was stolen, but I have a special place in my heart for Taylor due to that guitar and all the songs I’ve written on their guitars since. At some point when I can I will sit down and start filming/recording audio and video of this guitar. I’m backlogged with work and other projects and actual guitars in my shop that I’m working on, but this one deserves a little attention in the future.

If you have any questions about this instrument, I’m happy to share my experience beyond what I’ve written above.

Cheers

Brandon
Beshook Studios

A GS Mini mahogany has been my only acoustic for about 6 years now. I'm preparing to perform at a local folk festival, hopefully the first of many, and had some hobby money set aside and decided it was time for a new Taylor with a pickup. Trying to keep it under $2k Canadian, I took home a 114ce and just couldn't bring myself to love it. It just didn't sound or feel right to me for my finger picking style and felt so much larger than the GS Mini I'm used to, so it went back the next day. I decided I needed something smaller with a mahogany top and went on the hunt for a used AD22E. To my surprise, I discovered this "new" unsold example online from a reputable shop in Edmonton for just over $1800 Canadian (under $1300 usd). The store recieved it in 2021 and it was never sold, so it's essentially brand new, aged 5 years unplayed with a factory warranty! I took a chance and ordered sight unseen and I'm sooooo glad I did. I'm in love with the sound and feel of this thing. It's so much darker than the photos I've seen of the American Dream series online and the woodgrain through the ultra thin finish feels amazing.